Sometime after the summer of 2001 this aircraft had a mishap. To repair this airframe, F-16N #163571 (#86-1689) was split in half at bulkhead 243.00 with the aft end being used for this airframe #85-1444 and the forward half used to fix #86-0242. This work was done by the 649th Logistics Support Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah.

Collided with F-16D (#85-1572), but both had landed safely at Langley AFB, Virginia. They were flying at 18:45 hours with night vision goggles over Cape Charles, Virginia when they hit. A wing was taken from the D-model and attached to the C-model so that it could fly home safely. The D-model was taken from Langley AFB by truck to Hill AFB, Utah where it was repaired over the next two years.

Collided with F-16C (86-0228) at 18:45 hours with night vision goggles over Cape Charles, Virginia. F-16C (86-0228) passed this F-16 and the top of the fins on the AiM-9's cut across the fuselage all the way up to bulkhead 243 which is just behind the canopy. They were able to land safely at Langley AFB, Virginia. The D-model gave up its wing for the C-model which once wing replaced flew home. The D-model left Langley AFB on a truck to Hill AFB, Utah. Repair work was carried out at Ogden ALC by the 649th Combat Logistics Support Squadron. Cost to repair was $1.2 million, 26000 work hours and over a 2 year period. Aircraft was delivered back to the 149th FS by March 31st, 2004.

Lost after ingesting a bird which caused an engine fire. Both crew ejected safely and the wreckage came down just off the southern tip of Landegode island, Norway. Backseater was a female administration officer on an incentive flight. Wreckage was moved to Kjeller depot.

Engine failed over Melrose Bombing Range. Captain Dawn Hokaj ejected with only minor injuries around 20 miles west of Clovis, New Mexico. The no. 3 bearing in the engine broke apart causing the engine failure. Failure of the no. 3 bearing was a known problem with those engines

Aircraft suffered a class A mishap when it ingested a pelican at Eglin AFB and the motor shelled out. The aircraft landed safely at Duke Auxiliary Field and fire broke out. Both pilots managed to walk away without injury but aircraft had major fire damage. The aircraft is now being used on the test range at Eglin AFB, Florida.

Aircraft departed controlled flight during an air combat exercise forcing Captain Allan O. Jensen to eject. Wreckage of the aircraft went into the North Sea 28 miles west of Thyorøn, Denmark. He was rescued by an S-61A

Went down over the Pacific Ocean 12 miles northwest of Misawa, Japan. Pilot, First Lieutenant Mark Hadley, ejected and was rescued by a Japanese military HH-60 after 35 minutes of being in the ater. Cause of the crash was FOD to the engine. This caused a blade from the third stage compressor to come loose which punctured the engine's compressor section. Pilot as a result was unable to re-light the engine. The aircraft was from the 14th FS but the pilot belonged to the 13th FS. In May, 80% of the wreckage was recovered, including the engine. A US Navy diver Seaman Matthew Draughon was killed on May 5th, 2001 during the recovery of debris.

Main gear collapsed and a crewmember was injured by the port wing stabilizer. The tail of the aircraft came down and wrecked the ventral fins. Here are the events as described by that crewmember: "There had been changes made to the order in which normal maintenance inspections were performed. Basically our normal way of doing things had been changed. These changes are what allowed this mishap to occur. The evening before I reported for work my swing-shift counterpart found a cracked landing gear handle lense. In the course of fixing the handle someone inadvertently left the handle in the up position. Therefore when the pilot started the jet the main landing gear retracted. I received an L2 compression fracture, a dislocated right ankle, and a broken fibula". This incident happened at Hato, Curaçao. All flying was cancelled for the day. The aircraft was returned to flying status by May 18th, 2001.

Lost forty miles southeast of Kunsan AB, Korea taking the life of pilot, First Lieutenant Randolph E. Murff. It is speculated the aircraft struck an electrical pole before impacting a rice paddy. Cause was later determined to be due to spatial disorientation. The aircraft ended up in an inverted steep dive that was not recoverable (13,000 feet, 460 knots, 59° nose low, 165° left bank). The pilot ejected out of the envelope (one second before impact).

Pilot Major C. Deering after suffering engine problems attempted to divert to Leeuwarden. Deering had jettisoned his external fuel tanks, but was forced to eject at 11:15 hours 15 miles northeast of the island of Terschelling. Deering was plucked out of the North Sea by the Leeuwarden SAR at 11:32 hours

Impacted the Atlantic Ocean at 10:40 hours about 40 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. Pilot, Captain Mitchell Bulmann, was sadly killed. The aircraft was on a air-to-air training mission. Cause is believed to be G-LOC.